For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.  (NRSV)

This verse became important in our family’s life when we became a foster family, and it often framed my prayers for foster children as we headed into a courtroom where decisions would be made for them. I knew that the author of time, space, matter, and energy—our loving creator, God—loves us with a sacrificial, extravagant love and that God’s grace would abound even in uncertainty and fear. I knew I had to let go of my desire to be in control of what was happening, to let go of my tiny vision of what was best, to trust in the work of God’s Holy Spirit to release the future and the hope God had in store for that precious child. Knowing God’s love for each of us is far more perfect, God’s plans far wiser, than ours brought some measure of comfort and hope in the uncertainty. 

Over and over, I’ve experienced God’s presence and faithfulness in amazing ways when discouraged, frightened, grieving, or perplexed. As I learned to be still, to slow down, to be open to God’s goodness and faithfulness, I discovered simple, unexpected, unlikely, daily, sometimes difficult, graces in disguise. I recognized again that there is always more grace, more than we dare to ask for or imagine, when we awaken to the wonder of the immensity of God’s faithful love for us. 

Those experiences then fuel a desire to find new ways to show courageous and compassionate care for others experiencing grief, fear, or frustration in this our hurting world. May God grow our ability to trust God’s promises like the one in this scripture. Then we can face whatever the future brings with hope, for truly we know that nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Contributed by Lorraine Brewer